The Varvara chainmail playsuit from Agent Provocateur is all gold chains and hammered gold medallions and comes with a warning that it could get uncomfortably hot in sunlight or under strong lights.

Needless to say, this is not your typical lingerie garment. And needless to say, Agent Provocateur will probably have the too-hot-to-wear chainmail lingerie market to itself this season.

The Varvara is $4,500 (US) worth of pure va-va-voom that will inspire both lust and larceny in men’s hearts everywhere. It’s also the centerpiece in the latest collection from AP’s couture Soirée label, which was released quietly last week on the same day that La Perla was grabbing all the headlines with its debut Atelier Couture line.

So far, the busy sex-and-sizzle brand has released six new pieces from the Soirée spring collection, with another batch of bejewelled beauties still to come (we’ll update when the full set is available).

The collection is called ‘The Return of the Queen’, but it’s definitely not a tribute to the current ruler of the realm (though some of her progeny might be likely customers).

Instead, it’s inspired by “queens of ancient times” who were known as much for their sexual adventures as their political prowess — Cleopatra and Nefertiti from ancient Egypt, the biblical seductress Salomé and Caesonia, the hypersexed wife of Roman emperor Caligula.

Agent Provocateur says its Queens collection is meant to display a “heightened sense of opulence and carnality” — mission accomplished — and cites both Cleopatra and Caesonia as the inspirations behind the sizzling Varara suit.

Actually, AP calls this garment a “dress” and suggests it can be worn on its own for maximum impact. Unless your name is Nicki or Xtina, however, you’ll want to consider that the Varvara has no brief, no gusset and no underlayer of any kind. More sensible customers might try wearing this over a light camisole and avoid the burn marks.

Below we have the first series of campaign images for the Soirée spring-summer collection. Pieces are typically offered in limited editions and at the upper end of both Agent Provocateur‘s price range and its playful imagination.